“This usage of šā̄paṭ [in Psalm 82] to center on and define the crimes of the elohim [gods] suggests that the crimes are not simply against the helpless and unfortunate, but against justice in general. In other words, the crimes against the helpless and unfortunate threaten the entire cosmic justice system because they concern matters that are the touchstone, the fundamental requirement for all justice, and this is why they are the crimes mentioned so regularly throughout the ancient Near East when the question of just rulership is discussed.”—Reconsidering the Concept of Revolutionary Monotheism, page 209
<idle musing>
Would that our current fixation on money would be subjected to biblical šā̄paṭ! This sentiment also reminds me of Heschel in The Prophets. The biblical prophets understood that cheating in the marketplace upended the entire universe and would bring about the downfall of Israel...
</idle musing>
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